CN116708483A

CN116708483A - System and method for monitoring refrigeration equipment

Info

Publication number: CN116708483A
Application number: CN202310192699.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 凯文·卡奈特
Original assignee: True Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: True Manufacturing Co Inc
Priority date: 2022-03-04
Filing date: 2023-03-02
Publication date: 2023-09-05
Also published as: AU2023201333A1; EP4239263A1; CA3191068A1; MX2023002609A; JP2023129363A; KR20230131149A; US20230281569A1

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely monitoring a refrigeration appliance take corrective action to address the failure to maintain a recurring maintenance schedule by pushing a notification to an operator or sending an instruction to cause the appliance's controller to switch to a restricted mode. The systems and methods may use periodic ice level indications from an ice level sensor to determine ice level low in the bin and in response, push a low ice level notification to an operator or place additional ice orders. The systems and methods may also collect ice level data from a number of ice makers, determine which ice levels are low and which ice levels are high, and in response, provide a network-based transaction to enable one operator to obtain ice from another operator.

Description

System and method for monitoring refrigeration equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for monitoring refrigeration equipment, such as ice machines.

Background

Devices, including refrigeration devices such as commercial and residential refrigerators, freezers, and ice makers, are in widespread use. Many modern devices are capable of connecting to the internet. While network-connected devices are well known, the industry has not recognized all the possibilities offered by network connections.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a method of remotely managing a device includes receiving operational data from the device. Based on the operation data, an elapsed time interval since the last performance of the frequent maintenance task is determined. The asset management server remote from the device determines that the elapsed time interval exceeds the threshold time interval. In response to determining that the time interval has elapsed exceeds a threshold time interval, the asset management server performs one of: (i) A notification is pushed to an operator of the device indicating that the frequent maintenance task should be performed, and (i i) an instruction is sent to the device over the client-server network, the instruction configured to cause a controller of the device to switch from a normal mode to a restricted mode.

In another aspect, a method of managing an ice maker includes receiving a periodic indication of an ice level of ice in a bin associated with the ice maker from an ice level sensor of the ice maker. Based on the periodic indication, it is determined that the ice level of the ice in the bin is low. In response to the determination, at least one corrective action is taken selected from a group of corrective actions consisting of (i) pushing a low ice level notification to an operator of the ice machine and (i i) placing an order to purchase additional ice.

In another aspect, a method of remotely managing a plurality of ice machines in an asset management system includes receiving ice level data from the plurality of ice machines. The asset management server determines that a first one of the plurality of ice makers has a low ice level and a second one of the plurality of ice makers has a high ice level based on the ice level data. Based on the determination, the asset management server provides a transaction based on the network by which an operator of the first ice maker purchases ice from an operator of the second ice maker.

Other aspects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an asset management system for managing a plurality of devices;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an ice maker that may be used with the asset management system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of the ice-making machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an ice maker showing its ice level sensor;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of steps and decision points of one embodiment of a method of addressing the ice-making capacity of an ice-making machine;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of steps and decision points of another embodiment of a method of addressing the ice-making capacity of an ice-making machine;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of steps and decision points of another embodiment of a method of addressing the ice-making capacity of an ice-making machine;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of steps and decision points of a method for remotely facilitating compliance with frequent maintenance requirements of a device.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for monitoring refrigeration equipment. Exemplary embodiments relate to systems and methods for remotely monitoring commercial ice making machines. In particular, certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for remotely monitoring ice level data of an ice machine in an asset management system and taking corrective action before the ice machine fails to meet demand for ice using the ice level data. The present disclosure also relates to systems and methods that utilize a remote asset management system of a device to facilitate compliance with frequent maintenance obligations.

Referring to fig. 1, an exemplary system for managing refrigeration equipment (broadly, a system for managing equipment) is indicated generally by the reference numeral 101. The system generally includes a plurality of refrigeration devices 103 (each, generally a device). A client server network 107 (e.g., the internet) connects each refrigeration appliance 103 to the asset management server 105. The illustrated asset management server 105 is configured to selectively send instructions to refrigeration equipment 103 connected to the server over a network 107. The instructions may be configured to change local control parameters of the device 103, thereby adjusting the manner in which the device operates. Further, the refrigeration appliance 103 is configured to send the operational data to the asset management server 105, which stores the operational data in the memory 109. Thus, it can be seen that the network 107 facilitates interaction between the asset management server 105 and the devices 103. As will be explained more fully below, when the operational data indicates that a required maintenance task is not being performed on one of the devices 103, the asset management server 105 is configured to take action to ensure completion of the task. In the illustrated embodiment, the device 103 includes an ice maker, and the operational data sent to the asset management server 105 includes ice level data, and in some embodiments, ice making data. As explained in further detail below, asset management server 105 is configured to monitor ice levels and take corrective action when the expected demand is not met due to ice levels being too low. In the illustrated embodiment, the asset management server 105 includes an Application Programming Interface (API) 111 through which the asset management server is configured to connect to one or more network-based ice provider platforms V that sell ice cubes for delivery. As explained more fully below, in certain embodiments, asset management server 105 is configured to perform an automatic purchase transaction to purchase ice from vendor website V when ice level is too low, representing an ice maker operator. In addition, as will be explained in further detail below, asset management server 105 may facilitate an "automated point-to-point ice market on an internet of things basis" (automated IOT-based peer-to-peer ice marketplace) between ice makers 103 on a network, whereby asset management server 105 may make a request on behalf of an operator of an ice maker having a low ice level on the network to purchase or make a gratuitous purchase of ice from a nearby operator having a high ice level on the network.

It should be appreciated that an "asset management server" may be a dedicated server system located at a single location or a distributed computing resource (e.g., a cloud-based system) capable of running asset management applications (e.g., SAAS (Software as a Service) applications) and in communication with the refrigeration appliance 103 through the client-server network 107. In some embodiments, the refrigeration appliance 103 is registered with the asset management server 105 to obtain membership of the asset management system 101 to the network. Through a registration process or any other suitable manner, asset management server 105 may store address information for each device 103 in memory 109, through which asset management server 105 may send instructions to a particular device and determine which device is the source of the operational data when the operational data is received. In some cases, the ice maker operator may also provide geographic location information (e.g., street address) of ice maker 103 during registration, which server 105 stores in memory 109. Further, the registration process may involve entering payment credentials (e.g., credit card information) and/or deposit account credentials of the ice maker operator, which are stored by server 105 in memory 109. If the asset management system 101 includes an API 111 for purchasing ice pieces from one or more ice maker platforms V, the asset management system 105 may use the location information to select one or more ice maker platforms V to purchase ice pieces based on the lead time expected to reach the location of the ice maker. Further, in one or more embodiments, the ice maker operator may choose to join the point-to-point ice making market based on the internet of things during the registration process. If the asset management system 101 is configured to provide an automated internet of things based peer-to-peer ice market, the asset management server 105 may use the registered locations stored in the memory 109 to determine which other ice makers within the network have selected to join the internet of things based automated peer-to-peer ice market to be located nearby. In one or more embodiments, the ice machine operator uses the internet of things-based automated point-to-point ice market to select an acceptable geographic area from which to make point-to-point ice purchases (e.g., a radius centered on the location of the ice machine). In addition, the ice maker may also provide contact information during registration and store it in memory 109 in server 105 during registration. In some embodiments, server 105 uses the stored contact information to push notifications to operators using registered contact points. It should also be appreciated that the registration process may be facilitated on the mobile device application such that notifications may be pushed by the mobile device application instead of or in addition to pushing notifications to phone numbers or email addresses.

In an exemplary embodiment, each refrigeration appliance 103 is a commercial ice-making machine. One exemplary embodiment of a commercial ICE MAKER as shown herein is more fully described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/147,965, filed on even 13 at 1 month 2021, entitled ICE MAKER, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It is understood that system 101 may include other types of refrigeration equipment, such as commercial refrigerators, commercial freezers, and residential refrigeration equipment. In general, a "refrigeration appliance" within the scope of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration system (e.g., a vapor compression system, a thermoelectric system, and/or other suitable refrigeration system) configured to cool a particular area associated with the appliance. In the case of ice maker 103, each refrigeration system is configured as an ice making device that cools water and collects and cools to cool into collectable ice. In the case of many other types of refrigeration devices, the refrigeration system will cool a defined storage area, such as an interior space extending into a cabinet, display case, drawer, walk-in compartment, or the like. The refrigeration appliance within the scope of the present disclosure also includes a local controller for operating the refrigeration appliance and/or receiving operational data from the various components of the appliance.

Although the present disclosure particularly details the use of the asset management system 101 on refrigeration equipment, the principles of using the asset management system to monitor compliance with frequent maintenance obligations may be applicable to other types of equipment (e.g., kitchen equipment, cooking equipment, cleaning equipment (e.g., sanitizing equipment), water equipment, and medical equipment or devices) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other devices within the scope of the present disclosure typically include an electronic local control system that includes one or more electronically controllable components that perform one or more device functions, a real-time indication of how one or more aspects of the device operate or perform, and a local controller for operating the controllable components and/or receiving operational data from the signal output components of the device. In addition, devices within the scope of the present disclosure typically include a network interface or port (e.g., a cellular data antenna or Wi-Fi antenna) that enables the device to connect to the asset management system network 107 and communicate with the remote asset management system server 105.

In many cases, a local control system for a device (e.g., a refrigeration device) within the scope of the present disclosure will be configured to selectively operate the device in at least a normal mode and a restricted mode. In the restricted mode, one or more functions of the normal mode are not available. Various ways of achieving switching between normal mode and restricted mode are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in one or more embodiments, the local controller may access control parameters from a local memory that includes registers defining available modes of operation. As a further example, the memory may have a binary register for each of the normal mode and the restricted mode of the device. In an exemplary embodiment, the asset management server may issue a "change control parameter command" to the device, writing new values into these registers and/or other registers of the device control parameters.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of an ice maker 103 that may be used with asset management system 101 will now be briefly described. An ice maker within the scope of the present disclosure may generally include an ice-forming device on which water may form ice cubes, a water system for directing water onto the ice-forming device, and a refrigeration system configured to cool the ice-forming device to a temperature at which at least some of the liquid water present on the ice-forming device will freeze to ice. In the illustrated embodiment, the ice maker is a batch ice maker having a substantially vertical freezer plate 110 that forms the ice making apparatus. Other types of ice making machines, such as block and vertical jet ice making machines, are also considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In block ice making machines, the ice-making device is typically a refrigerated cylinder placed inside the screw; in a vertical injection ice making machine, the ice-making device is typically a horizontally oriented freeze plate with the ice molds opening downwardly.

The refrigeration system of ice maker 103 includes a compressor 112, a heat exchanger 114 for rejecting heat, a refrigerant expansion device 118 for reducing the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, an evaporator 120 along the back side of freeze plate 110, and a hot gas valve 124. The compressor 112 may be a fixed speed compressor or a variable speed compressor to provide a wider control possibility. As shown, the heat exchanger 114, which rejects heat, may include a condenser for condensing the compressed refrigerant vapor exiting the compressor 112. In other embodiments, for example, in refrigeration systems utilizing carbon dioxide refrigerant, the heat rejection is transcritical, and the heat rejection heat exchanger is capable of rejecting heat from the refrigerant without condensing the refrigerant. The hot gas valve 124 is selectively opened to direct warm refrigerant from the compressor 114 directly to the evaporator 120 to remove or collect ice from the cold plate 110 when the ice reaches a desired thickness.

The refrigerant expansion device 118 may be of any suitable type, including a capillary tube, a thermostatic expansion valve, or an electronic expansion valve. In some embodiments, if the refrigerant expansion device 118 is a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve, the ice maker 110 may further include a temperature sensor 126 disposed at the outlet of the evaporator 120 to control the refrigerant expansion device 118. In other embodiments, if the refrigerant expansion device 118 is an electronic expansion valve, the ice maker 110 may further include a pressure sensor (not shown) positioned at the outlet of the evaporator 120 to control the refrigerant expansion device 118, as is known in the art. In certain embodiments that utilize a gaseous cooling medium (e.g., air) to provide condenser cooling, a condenser fan 115 may be provided to blow the gaseous cooling medium through the condenser 114. The condenser fan 115 may be a fixed speed fan or a variable speed fan to provide a wider control possibility. The compressor 112 circulates some form of refrigerant through a condenser 114, an expansion device 118, an evaporator 120, and a hot gas valve 124 via refrigerant lines.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the water system of ice maker 10 is illustrated as including a water tank 130, a water pump 132, a water line 134 (broadly, a passageway), and a water level sensor 136. The water pump 132 may be a constant speed pump or a variable speed pump to provide a wider control possibility. The water system of ice maker 103 further includes a water supply line 138 and a water inlet valve 140 for filling water tank 130 from a water source (e.g., municipal water supply). The illustrated water system further includes a drain pipe 142 (also referred to as a drain passage or drain pipe) and a drain valve 144 (e.g., purge valve, drain valve; in broad terms, purge device) for draining water from the tank 130. A water tank 130 may be provided below the freeze plate 110 to catch water falling from the freeze plate so that relatively cool water falling from the freeze plate may be recirculated by a water pump 132. The water line 134 fluidly connects the water pump 132 with a water dispenser 146 above the freeze plate. During an ice batch production cycle, the water pump 132 is configured to pump water 146 through the water line 134 and through the dispenser 146. The dispenser is configured to evenly distribute the water delivered through the dispenser 146 in front of the freeze plate 110 so that the water flows down the freeze plate and any unfrozen water falls from the bottom of the freeze plate into the water tank 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the water level sensor 136 includes a remote air pressure sensor 148. However, it is understood that any type of water level sensor may be used in ice maker 103, including but not limited to a float sensor, an acoustic sensor, or an electrical continuity sensor. The illustrated water level sensor 136 includes a fitting 150 configured to fluidly connect the sensor to the tank 130. The fitting 150 is in fluid connection with a pneumatic tube 152. Pneumatic tube 152 provides fluid communication between fitting 150 and pneumatic sensor 148. The water in the tank 130 traps air in the joint 150 and compresses the air, the amount of compression varying with the water level in the tank. Thus, the pressure detected by the air pressure sensor 148 may be used to determine the water level in the water tank 130. Additional details regarding exemplary embodiments of water level sensors, including remote air pressure sensors, are described in U.S. patent application publication number 2016/0054043, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, ice maker 103 includes a controller 160 (e.g., a "local controller" or "appliance controller"). Controller 160 includes at least one processor 162 for controlling the operation of ice maker 103, for example, for controlling at least one of a refrigeration system and a water system. The processor 162 of the controller 160 may include a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause the processor to perform a process. For example, the processor 162 may be a commercially available microprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or a combination of ASICs designed to perform one or more specific functions or to enable one or more specific devices or applications. In some embodiments, the controller 160 may be an analog or digital circuit, or a combination of circuits. The controller 160 may also include one or more memory components 164 (fig. 3) for storing data in a form retrievable by the controller. The controller 160 may store data in or retrieve data from one or more memory components.

Referring to FIG. 3, in various embodiments, controller 160 may also include input/output (I/O) components to communicate and/or control the various components of ice maker 103. In certain embodiments, for example, the controller 160 may receive inputs such as one or more indications, signals, messages, commands, data, and/or any other information from the water level sensor 136, the harvest sensor 166 for determining when to harvest ice, a power source (not shown), the ice level sensor 141 for detecting ice levels in the bin 104 (fig. 4) below the ice forming device 110, and/or various sensors and/or switches, including, but not limited to, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic sensors, etc. In various embodiments, based on these inputs and predefined control instructions stored in memory component 164, controller 160 controls ice maker 103 by outputting control signals to controllable output components, such as compressor 112, condenser fan 115, refrigerant expansion device 118, hot gas valve 124, water inlet valve 140, water drain valve 144, and/or water pump 132. In the illustrated embodiment, ice maker 103 (a broad refrigeration appliance; or more generally an appliance) includes a GPS receiver 168 coupled to a local controller 160 for providing GPS positioning signals to the controller from which the geographic location of the appliance can be determined.

Referring to fig. 4, in one exemplary embodiment, ice level sensor 141 is configured to output an ice level signal that varies continuously with the ice level in storage bin 104 of ice maker 103. This is in contrast to the water level detector of many conventional ice makers, which only displays when the ice cubes reach certain threshold levels (e.g., full, empty). It is understood that ice maker 103 may have an integrated storage bin 104 or the storage bin may be a separate unit located below ice maker 103 that receives ice as it falls from freeze plate 110. In one or more embodiments, the storage bins 104 can be equipped with or connected to a dispensing mechanism.

In one or more embodiments, the ice level sensor 141 includes a time-of-flight sensor. In general, suitable time-of-flight sensors 141 can include a sensor board 312 (e.g., a printed circuit board) including a light source 314, a photon detector 316, and an onboard control and measurement processor 318. An exemplary time-of-flight sensor board is sold by the company schematic semiconductor (STMicroelectronics, inc.) under the designation flight sensor ^TM . Certain non-limiting embodiments of time-of-flight sensors within the scope of the present disclosure are described in U.S. patent application publication No. 2017/0351336, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In general terms, the light source 314 is configured to emit a pulse of light toward a target at a first instant. Photon detector 316 is configured to detect a target reflected photon of the optical pulse signal returning to time-of-flight sensor 310 at a second instant. The control and measurement processor 318 is configured to direct the light source to emit light pulses and to determine a duration (time of flight) between the first instant and the second instant. In one or more embodiments, the control and measurement processor 318 is further configured to determine a distance between the time-of-flight sensor and the target based on the determined duration and cause the sensor board 312 to output a signal representative of the determined distance. The time-of-flight sensor 141 is configured to direct light pulses downwardly toward the bottom of the ice bin from a location adjacent the storage bin roof 104. If there is no ice, the light pulse will reflect from the bottom 30 of the bin and if there is ice, the reflection of ice received from the top of the bin. From the duration of the photon (time of flight), the control and measurement processor 318 determines the distance of travel of the photon, which indicates the level (generally, amount) of ice present in the ice storage bin 104, e.g. The determined distance is inversely proportional to the amount of ice in the ice bin. The time-of-flight sensor 141 can quickly and very accurately indicate the level of ice in the bin 104. In certain embodiments, ice maker controller 160 is configured to receive a measurement signal from sensor board 312 and use the measurement signal to control the ice maker. In one exemplary embodiment, ice maker controller 160 is configured to determine the ice level within storage bin 104 based on the signal and periodically send ice level information within the bin to asset management server 105.

In the illustrated embodiment, controller 160 has predefined software or circuitry for selecting one of the normal mode and the restricted mode to locally control ice maker 103. For example, memory 164 includes a register for each mode, and controller 160 controls ice maker 103 according to preprogrammed instructions of the mode of the currently active register. In addition, asset management server 105 may change specific control parameters by issuing instructions to ice maker 103 to change the control parameters, thereby effectively changing the mode of the device, thereby remotely defining and implementing the auxiliary mode. In other words, asset management system 101 enables mode switching even if ice maker 103 lacks a local predefined mode configured into a local control system.

Referring again to fig. 2, in the normal mode, the controller 160 is generally configured to perform a continuous ice making batch cycle. Each ice-making batch production cycle includes a freezing step of ice (freezing step), a harvesting step of ice (harvesting step), and a step of filling the water tank 130 with water (filling step). At least some ice-making batch production cycles include the step of purging hard water from the water tank 130 (purging step) before a batch of ice is formed and before the water tank is refilled.

An exemplary embodiment of the normal mode will be briefly described. During the freezing step, the refrigeration system is operated to cool the freeze plate 110. At the same time, pump 132 circulates water from tank 130 through water line 134 and further through dispenser 146. The dispenser 146 dispenses water along a top portion of the freeze plate 110. As the water flows down the front end of the freezing plate 110, some of the water freezes into ice, forming ice cubes of progressively increasing thickness on the freezing plate. Unfrozen water drips off the freeze plate 110 and falls back into the water tank 130.

When the ice reaches a thickness suitable for harvesting, the controller 160 switches from the freezing step to the ice harvesting step. The pump 132 is turned off and the hot gas valve 124 is opened, redirecting the hot refrigerant gas to the evaporator 120. The hot refrigerant gas heats the freeze plate 110, causing the ice cubes to melt. The melted ice falls from the freeze plate into an underlying ice bin (not shown). After the ice cubes fall from the freeze plate, the hot gas valve 124 is closed, as indicated by harvest sensor 166.

The water tank 130 must be refilled before another ice-making batch production cycle begins. The water tank has an end of cycle water level that is less than the ice making water level at which the ice maker begins each ice making batch production cycle. Thus, the controller 160 opens the inlet valve 140 to allow new water supply to enter the water tank 130 before starting the subsequent freezing step. When the water level sensor 136 provides an indication to the controller that the water level reaches the ice making level, the controller 160 closes the water inlet valve 140.

At least periodically, it may be beneficial to purge a portion of the water from the water tank 130 before starting a new ice making production cycle. This is advantageous because during the freezing step, as the water flows down the front of the freeze plate 110, impurities in the water, such as a solution of calcium and other minerals, will remain in solution with the liquid water, while the purer water will be frozen. Therefore, the impurity concentration in the water increases in each freezing step. Too high an impurity concentration can rapidly degrade the performance of the ice machine and even render it inoperable. Thus, periodically, the controller 160 will purge a portion of the residual water in the water tank 130 from the end of cycle water level to the purge threshold level by opening the drain valve 144. Drain valve 144 is one suitable cleaning mechanism, but other types of cleaning mechanisms (e.g., active drain pumps) may be used to perform the above-described cleaning steps without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The restricted mode of operation may differ from the normal mode of operation in a number of ways. In one exemplary embodiment, the restricted mode locks the ice maker 160 to prevent the controller 160 from operating the ice maker 103 to make ice. For example, the controller 160 may maintain the fill valve 140 in a closed position and/or prevent the compressor 112 from running.

Exemplary embodiments of the device control system within the scope of the present disclosure are also configured to track the time interval between execution of the required periodic maintenance tasks. In the case of the illustrated ice maker 103, the periodic maintenance tasks may include one or more of periodic descaling, periodic disinfection, periodic air filter cleaning, and the like. It should be appreciated that other devices may track other types of periodic maintenance tasks, which will vary depending on which maintenance tasks are critical to the function or safe operation of the device. In one or more embodiments, ice maker 103 includes user interface device 165 and an authorized user can provide input to the user interface device indicating when to perform a desired frequent maintenance task. In some embodiments, the user must perform periodic maintenance tasks via the controller 160 by making inputs to the user interface device 165 to initiate the maintenance tasks. The controller 160 may receive such input as an indication that a maintenance task has been performed. In some embodiments, an authorized user may use a remote device (not shown) connected to asset management system 101 to indicate that the required frequent maintenance tasks have been performed. This may be useful, for example, if a maintenance task is actually performed, but the maintenance person forgets to enter into the local user interface device 165 a condition indicating that the task has been performed. In response to a local or remote input that a periodic maintenance task has been performed, the controller 160 may reset a timer that marks the time since the last performance of the corresponding maintenance task.

Referring to FIG. 3, the device control system further includes a network interface 170 configured to connect the device 103 to the client-server network 107 for communication with the remote asset management server 105. In other words, the network interface 170 is configured to provide communication between the local controller 160 of the device 103 and the remote asset management server 105. An exemplary embodiment of a communication architecture for an asset management system for an appliance is described in more detail in U.S. patent No. 9,863,694, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The illustrated network interface 170 includes a wireless transceiver, such as a cellular data transceiver or Wi-Fi transceiver. Other types of network interfaces (e.g., wired internet ports, etc.) may be used without departing from the scope of the present technology. The network interface 170 is generally configured to communicate operational data from the device 103 to the asset management server 105 and to communicate commands from the asset management server to the device.

Within the scope of the present disclosure, various types of operational data and commands may be communicated between the device 103 and the server 105, and it is understood that the specific operational data and commands in any given asset management system 101 will depend on factors such as the type of device on the network, the particular control scheme used to control the device, the operational characteristics of interest to the network, and so forth.

"operating parameters" may include, among other things, measured or sensed values representing one or more aspects of the performance of the device 103, as well as control settings such as setpoint values, limit values, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 160 is configured to periodically send values measured by the local control system to the asset management server 105 via the network interface 170 and the network 107, including: the ice level in bin 104 detected by the aforementioned ice level sensor; one or more sensed temperatures (e.g., air temperature, one or more evaporator temperatures 120 (e.g., the highest temperature of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet during the freezing step of the previous ice-making batch production cycle, the temperature of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet at a predefined point in time during the freezing step of the previous ice-making batch production cycle, the lowest temperature of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet during the freezing step of the previous ice-making batch production cycle, the highest temperature of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet during the harvesting step of the previous ice-making batch production cycle), the temperature of the water within the water tank 130, and/or the temperature of the water supply at the water inlet), one or more sensed refrigerant pressures (e.g., sensed refrigerant pressure on the high pressure side of the compressor 112 (e.g., the highest high pressure side pressure during the freezing step of the previous ice-making cycle, the high side pressure at a predetermined point in time during the freezing step of the last ice making cycle, the minimum high side pressure during the freezing step of the last ice making cycle, the maximum high side pressure during the harvesting step of the last ice making cycle) or the sensed refrigerant pressure at the low side of the compressor (e.g., the maximum low side pressure during the freezing step of the last ice making cycle, the low side pressure at a predetermined point in time during the freezing step of the last ice making cycle, the minimum low side pressure during the freezing step of the last ice making cycle, the maximum low side pressure during the harvesting step of the last ice making cycle), the measured run time (e.g., the run time of the last day, week and/or month), a measured amount of water (e.g., last day, week, and/or month of water), a measured amount of energy usage (e.g., last day, week, and/or month of energy consumption), a measured amount of ice product production (e.g., last day, week, and/or month of ice production), a measured duration of the freezing step (e.g., time required to perform each of a last predetermined number (e.g., five) of freezing cycles), an average of time required to perform each of a last predetermined number (e.g., five) of freezing cycles), a measured duration of the harvesting step (e.g., time required to perform each of a batch production cycle of the last completed ice, time required to perform each of a last predetermined number (e.g., five) of harvesting cycles), and an average of time required to perform each of a last predetermined number (e.g., five) of harvesting cycles). The controller is further configured to periodically send indications of certain control settings and status to the asset management server 105 via the network interface 170 and the network 107, including: current mode setting, current setpoint value, and status of any alarms (e.g., whether any alarms are active to indicate a fault). In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 160 is configured to send an indication of the elapsed time since each of the required frequent maintenance tasks (e.g., ice making, descaling/sanitizing, and/or air filter cleaning) was last performed to the asset management server 160. A device may send or distribute operation data to a remote server "on a regular basis" either at specific time intervals or whenever an operation value changes. In some embodiments, the device issues operational data at a particular time, but only parameter values that have changed. In one or more embodiments, the device may issue an alarm indication immediately and schedule all other operational data to be issued at predetermined time intervals.

Local controller 160 may also receive various instructions from asset management server 105 via client server network 107 and network interface 170. In one or more embodiments, the network interface 170 is configured to communicate a "change control parameter command" from the remote asset management server 105 to the controller 160, and in response to receiving the change control parameter command, the controller is configured to change one or more control parameters by which to direct the device 103 to perform a device function, such as ice making. The change control parameter command may be used to change various types of control parameters within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in one or more embodiments, changing the control parameter command may cause the controller 160 to change a particular setpoint or limit control value, such as a water level, an ice thickness value, a temperature setpoint value, an alarm limit, and the like. In some embodiments, the change control parameter command is configured to cause the controller to change the mode of the device 103 (e.g., from a normal mode to a restricted mode or vice versa). Thus, in some embodiments, ice maker 103 stores local control settings for a set of predetermined modes, and changing the control parameter commands causes controller 160 to write a new value to a register in memory 109 that sets the current mode of device 103. In other embodiments, the change control parameter command may cause the controller 160 to change modes by changing one or more predetermined control settings, such as set points or limit values stored in the memory 109.

In one embodiment, each ice maker 103 in asset management system 101 is configured to periodically transmit ice level data from ice level sensor 141 to asset management server 105, and the asset management server is configured to participate in ice level monitoring of the entire network. In one application of such full network ice level monitoring, asset management server 105 is configured to receive periodic indications of ice level from each ice maker 103 and determine that the ice level of one of storage bins 104 is low based on the periodic indications. In response to making this determination, asset management server 105 is configured to take at least one corrective action selected from a group of corrective actions comprising: (i) Pushing a low ice notification to an operator of the ice maker and/or (ii) making a request to increase ice. For (i), the asset management server 105 may be configured to push notifications to phone numbers registered with respect to ice makers via SMS messages, push notifications to email addresses registered with respect to ice makers via email, or use any other desired push notification method. As for (ii), the asset management server 105 may place a purchase order to an ice provider using the network API 111, or utilize an internet of things-based peer-to-peer ice market running on an asset management system, as will be discussed in further detail below.

In one embodiment, asset management server 105 is configured to make a rule-based determination that the ice level in storage bin 104 of ice maker 103 in asset management system 101 is low by comparing a periodic indication of the ice level to a predetermined threshold and determining from the comparison that the indicated ice level is below the threshold. For example, the threshold level may be a universal indicator of all ice makers 103 in asset management system 101, or the threshold level may be set by an ice maker operator for each individual ice maker 103 when the ice maker is registered. For example, an ice maker operator may indicate at registration that he or she wishes to be notified when the ice level in the ice bin is below 20% capacity. In this case, the asset management server 105 will push a notification to the operator that ice level is low. In this case, the asset management server 105 will push a notification to the operator that the ice level is low when the asset management server receives an indication that the ice maker is below 20% based on the ice level sent by the ice level sensor 141. In another example, at registration, the ice maker operator may provide an indication that at a user-defined peak business interval (e.g., 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm) the ice level is below the lowest ice level threshold (e.g., 35%) for the peak business interval, and the operator wishes to automatically order two bags of ice for delivery. In this case, asset management server 105 would place an order to the vendor through API 111 to send two bags of ice to the site. In some embodiments, the asset management server will also push a notification to the operator informing him or her that the ice level is too low and confirming that an order has been placed. Thus, it can be seen that the illustrated asset management system 101 enables an ice maker operator to set rules and that the asset management server 105 will take corrective action based on ice level. These rules may define ice level thresholds that may take certain corrective actions; these rules may define corrective actions to be taken at a given ice level threshold; these rules may selectively change the ice level threshold and/or corrective action taken at time intervals.

In another embodiment, each ice maker 103 in asset management system 101 is configured to periodically transmit ice making data (in addition to ice level data) to asset management server 105, and the asset management server is further configured to take corrective action based on automatic ice level and ice production trend or pattern analysis, such as using anomaly detection. In this example, asset management server 105 is using dynamic trend/pattern analysis of time series data of ice level and amount of ice made to evaluate when the ice level of ice maker 103 is low (or high) on network 107. As explained below, asset management server 105 uses trend/pattern analysis to determine the true ice making capacity and make accurate and reliable estimates of the expected ice making demand and compares these values to assess whether the current ice level is low or high.

In one exemplary embodiment, the ice making data periodically sent by ice maker 103 to asset management server 105 includes a record of the duration of at least one recent ice making cycle (e.g., the duration of three or more ice making cycles). From the duration of these ice making cycles, asset management server 105 may infer the actual ice making capacity of ice maker 103, which may be different from the rated ice making capacity of the ice maker at the time of manufacture. In one embodiment, asset management server 105 performs a moving average of the ice making cycle time and calculates the ice making capacity according to the following formula:

Equation 1: c=b/T

Wherein:

c is the actual ice-producing capacity in weight-time units;

b is the weight of the batch, in weight, known to the ice machine;

t is the moving average of the ice making cycle time in units of time.

The ice production data periodically sent by the ice maker to the asset management server may additionally or alternatively include an indication of the run time within a specified time interval and the amount of ice produced within the same time interval. In this case, the asset management server 105 may calculate the effective ice production of the ice maker 103 for each time interval according to the following formula.

Equation 2: c' =p/R

Wherein:

c' =effective ice yield of the ice maker during this time interval, in weight-time.

P = the amount of ice produced in weight in time intervals; and

r = running time in time intervals.

The asset management server 105 may maintain a time series record of the effective capacity C' of the ice machine and determine the actual ice production C of the ice machine as a moving average of the time series.

In one or more embodiments, asset management server 105 is configured to store in memory a time series record of (1) periodic indications of ice bits and (2) periodic indications of ice making. The asset management server 105 then automatically determines a statistical "seasonal" pattern of demand for ice using any suitable pattern recognition algorithm (e.g., fast fourier transform, autocorrelation function, etc.). For example, asset management server 105 may determine the average ice demand over a typical week on an hour-by-hour basis (or on different time intervals) by comparing ice making machine 103 with ice making records over a longer period (e.g., a month or more). For any given time interval, the asset management server 105 may calculate the demand for ice according to the following formula.

Equation 3:D (t) =ls-le+p

Wherein:

d (t) =the demand for ice in this time interval, in weight;

LS = amount of ice at the beginning of the time interval, in weight;

LE = the amount of ice at the end of the time interval in weight; and

p=the amount of ice generated during this time interval, in weight.

The asset management server may be configured to store a time series record of the demand for ice D (t) for each time interval of interest and calculate the "seasonal" demand for ice for the time interval of interest as a moving average of the time series records, referred to herein as D _avg (t)。

According to the 'seasonal' ice making demand D _avg (T), the determined actual ice making capacity C (or fixed ice making capacity index of the ice maker), and the current indication of ice level ('L') in bin 104, asset management server 105 may determine, for each of one or more ice makers 103 in asset management system 101, whether the ice maker can meet upcoming ice making needs, e.g., in a defined upcoming interval, T, according to the following algorithm _next With a duration T _next ,. If L+C is T _next ≥D _avg (t _next ) The ice maker is expected to meet the demand; if L+C is T _next <D _avg (t _next ) The ice maker cannot meet the demand. Asset management system 105 may classify the ice maker as low ice if ice maker 103 is not expected to meet the demand. If the capacity of ice maker 103 greatly exceeds the capacity required to meet the demand, then the ice maker may be classified as having excess ice, for example, if l+c×t _next ≥D _avg (t _next ) +E, where E is the amount of excess ice expressed in weight units, taking into account whether the ice machine has a high ice level.

An example is provided herein, the asset management server 105 may determine from the production record that the actual ice making capacity C of an ice maker has been determined fromThe rated capacity of 100 pounds of ice per hour drops to 45 pounds of ice per hour, i.e., 45 pounds per hour. In this example, asset management server 105 may also determine that on average, the same ice machine 103 has an average demand of 500 pounds of ice during the time interval of 3 pm to 11 pm per day, i.e., davg (t _3-11 ) =500 lbs; t (T) _3-11 =8 hours. Asset management server 105 may determine, based on actual capacity C, that ice machine 103 is capable of on demand producing 360 pounds of ice during a time interval from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm (i.e., ice machine interval capacity C x T) _3-11 360 lbs). Thus, if at 3:00 pm, the ice machine receives an indication of ice level L of less than 140 pounds of stored ice, asset management server 105 may automatically determine that ice machine 103 is not capable of meeting the intended demand. In response, server 105 may automatically take corrective action, such as pushing an indication to an operator of the ice machine and/or automatically placing an order for additional ice to the ice machine location.

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method for automatically purchasing ice when the ice level is low using the asset management system 101 is indicated generally at reference numeral 510. At initial step 512, server 105 receives ice level and yield data from ice maker 103. It is understood that server 105 can run process 510 for multiple ice makers 103 on network 107 simultaneously. At decision point 514, server 105 determines whether ice machine 103 is capable of meeting the anticipated demand for ice based on the ice level and yield data from ice machine 103 (e.g., using the algorithm described above). If so, no automatic purchasing of ice is performed and server 105 continues to monitor the ice level and production data until a determination occurs that ice maker 103 is unable to meet the anticipated demand for ice. When this occurs, at optional step 516, the illustrated asset management server 105 pushes a notification to the operator that there is insufficient ice level to meet the demand, and requests confirmation that the asset management server 105 should place a purchase order to the supplier V through the purchase API 111 for the amount of ice to meet the demand. At optional decision point 518, asset management server 105 determines whether the icemaker operator confirms the purchase order. If no purchase order confirmation is provided, server 105 does not place an order for ice and delays (step 520) until a new demand interval, and then monitors again the ice level and yield of ice machine 103. After the operator provides an indication (e.g., via a remote mobile device) confirming the request to place the purchase order, server 105 automatically proceeds to a transaction to purchase ice for delivery from supplier V at step 522. Preferably, the operator payment credentials stored in server memory 109 are used to make web-based purchases.

Referring to FIG. 6, another exemplary method for automatically harvesting ice cubes when the ice level is low using the asset management system 101 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 610. In an initial step 612, server 105 receives ice level (ice level) and production data from ice maker 103. It is understood that server 105 can run program 610 for multiple ice makers 103 on network 107 simultaneously. At decision point 614, server 105 determines whether the ice maker is capable of meeting the anticipated demand for ice based on the ice level and yield data from ice maker 103 (e.g., using the algorithm described above). If so, automatic harvesting of ice cubes is not performed, and server 105 continues to monitor ice level and production data until a determination occurs that ice maker 103 is unable to meet the anticipated demand for ice. When this occurs, the illustrated asset management server 105 pushes a notification to the operator informing the operator that there is insufficient ice level to meet the demand and requesting confirmation that the asset management server 105 should automatically request the amount of ice needed through the internet of things based peer-to-peer ice market at optional step 616. At optional decision point 618, asset management server 105 determines whether the ice maker operator acknowledges the request. If no request confirmation is provided, server 105 does not place an order to obtain ice cubes and delays (step 620) until a new demand interval again monitors the ice level and yield of ice machine 103.

If confirmation is provided, at step 622, server 105 determines that a set of ice makers 103 have been selected to enter the point-to-point ice making market based on the Internet of things, which are sufficiently close to the requesting ice maker (broadly, the first ice maker) determined to have a low ice level. In step 622, a set of ice machines can be determined based on the registered location of the ice machines and a geographic area (e.g., a radius around the ice machines) defined by an operator requesting the ice machines at registration. In step 624, server 105 determines a subset of ice makers within an acceptable geographic area that have high ice levels with actual production far exceeding the expected demand. For example, server 105 may set excess quantity variable E (used in the algorithm described above to determine whether the ice machine is excess capacity) to be greater than or equal to an insufficient amount of the expected ice making capacity of the requested ice machine.

In the illustrated embodiment, in step 626, the server marks the amount of ice needed to sell the requested ice machine 103 from each of (i) the acceptable geographic area and (ii) the subset of ice machines that have excess ice. For example, server 103 may push a notification to the operator of each subset of ice makers and attach an automatic message, such as "you have excess ice in XX's ice maker. The neighbors lack ice cubes. XX pounds of ice of your ice machine, how much you will pay? The bidding ends at X:XX. The server 105 then waits for the bid to end and then determines whether any bids are received at decision point 628. If no bids are received, server 105 pushes a notification to the operator of the requesting ice maker that no one is bidding to sell ice in step 630.

If any bids are received, the server selects the best bid price, optionally pushing further notification to the operator of the requesting ice machine to confirm the purchase at the selected bid, and then automatically conducting a purchase transaction, sending money from the electronic payment account associated with the operator of the requesting ice machine (payment account information may be stored in memory 109 during product registration) to the electronic deposit account associated with the winning operator (deposit account information may be stored in memory 109 during product registration) at step 632. When the purchase transaction is completed, the server also pushes a receipt to the operator of the requesting ice maker.

Referring to FIG. 7, another exemplary method of automatically harvesting ice when the ice level is low using the asset management system 101 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 710. In an initial step 712, server 105 receives ice level and production data from ice maker 103. It is understood that server 105 may run flow 710 for multiple ice makers 103 on network 107 simultaneously. At decision point 714, server 105 determines from the ice level and yield data from ice maker 103 (e.g., using the algorithm described above) whether the ice maker is capable of meeting the anticipated demand for ice. If so, automatic harvesting of ice cubes is not performed, and server 105 continues to monitor ice level and production data until a determination occurs that ice maker 103 is unable to meet the anticipated demand for ice. When this occurs, the illustrated asset management server 105 pushes a notification to the operator that there is insufficient ice level to meet the demand and requests confirmation that the asset management server 105 should make a request for the amount of ice to meet the demand through an automated peer-to-peer ice market based on the internet of things, at optional step 716. At optional decision point 718, asset management server 105 determines whether the ice maker operator confirms the request. If no request confirmation is provided, server 105 does not order the purchase of ice cubes and delays (step 720) until a new demand interval, and then monitors the ice level and yield of ice machine 103 again.

If confirmation is provided, the asset management server determines which other ice machines (i) have not been invited to sell ice and (i i) the ice making capacity is excessive, closest to the requested ice machine, based on the ice machine locations stored in memory 109 and the ice level and ice making capacity data of the other ice machines 103 on network 107, step 722. At decision point 722, server 105 determines whether ice maker 103 determined in step 720 is within an acceptable geographic area for the requested ice maker. If not, at step 724, server 105 pushes a notification to the operator requesting the ice maker that no ice is available for purchase on the automated point-to-point ice making market via the Internet of things. However, if there is an appropriate ice maker as determined by step 720 and decision point 722, server 105 makes a purchase request to the determined ice maker in step 726. More specifically, server 105 pushes a notification to the operator of the ice maker that has been determined, placing a purchase demand for the requesting operator. It is contemplated that this may be a price to purchase ice, as shown, or a friendly request to share ice free. Server 105 waits for a determined time interval to receive confirmation from the operator of the ice maker that has been determined. If confirmation is received at decision point 728, server 105 automatically conducts a transaction, such as a purchase transaction to pay money from an electronic payment account associated with the operator of the requesting ice machine (payment account information may be stored in memory 109 during product registration) to an electronic deposit account associated with the operator accepting the purchase order (deposit account information may be stored in memory 109 during product registration). If the request is accepted without payment, the transaction may involve transferring bonus points or other non-monetary compensation to the recipient operator. When the purchase transaction is completed, the server also pushes a receipt to the requesting ice maker operator. If the operator of the ice-making machine that has been determined does not accept the purchase order within the specified time interval (i.e., the answer to decision point 728 is NO), the server repeats step 720, but now excludes from consideration ice-making machines that do not respond to the bid. The sequence of steps and decision points 720, 722, 726, 728 is repeated until no acceptable ice making machine is determined at decision point 722 or an operator accepts the purchase order at decision point 728.

Referring to FIG. 8, the asset management server 105 may also be configured to perform a method 810 of ensuring compliance with required equipment maintenance. The ice maker can become a carrier of viral transmission when not properly cleaned (e.g., sanitized) on a regular basis. The asset management server 105 is configured to facilitate compliance with a desired maintenance schedule for frequent maintenance tasks, such as cleaning operations. In one example, a related routine maintenance task is cleaning ice machine 103. In another example, the frequent maintenance task is to replace a consumable part of the apparatus (e.g., an air filter of an ice machine). It is contemplated that the method 810 depicted in FIG. 8 may be used in asset management systems for other types of devices other than ice makers. In one detailed example, the method 810 of FIG. 8 is used with an ozone disinfection device of the type described in 17/244,553. One exemplary frequent maintenance task that may be monitored using the method 810 is to replace the catalyst of such a disinfection device. In another example, the frequent maintenance task is to replace the filter media in the water filtration device.

During operation, the device 103 will periodically send operational data to the asset management server 105 via the client-server network 107. In step 812 of method 810, server 105 receives the operational data. Based on the operational data received in step 812, the server 105 may determine how long to complete from the frequent maintenance task. The server memory 109 may store one or more threshold time intervals during which the server is configured to take certain actions to ensure that the necessary frequent maintenance operations are performed. In the illustrated embodiment, the server memory 109 stores a first time threshold at which the server 105 pushes a notification to the operator that maintenance must be performed, and a second time threshold at which the server automatically switches the device from the normal operating mode to the restricted mode (e.g., the restricted mode in which the device is locked from running its one or more device functions). U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/144,781 is incorporated herein by reference. It describes an exemplary mode of restriction, referred to herein as a "locked mode," which may be used to restrict the mode of operation in accordance with the present disclosure.

At decision point 814, server 105 determines whether the elapsed time since the last performance of the frequent maintenance task exceeds a first threshold time interval based on the operational data sent by device 103. If not, at step 816, the server 105 resets the "pushed" flag in memory 109 (discussed below) if the flag has not been reset. The illustrated server also switches 816 the device to a normal operating mode if it is currently operating in a restricted mode. If, at decision point 814, server 105 determines that the elapsed time exceeds the first threshold time, at decision point 818 the server determines whether a "pushed" flag has been set for device 103 in server memory 109. If the flag is not set, server 105 pushes a notification to the operator of the device informing that the maintenance task is urgently needed to be performed, step 820. In the illustrated embodiment, the server 105 may also include an indication of when the use of the device will be limited in the pushed notification. After pushing the notification in step 820, the server 105 sets a flag in the memory 109 that has been pushed to indicate that the reminder has been pushed to the operator in step 822.

Fig. 8 depicts a method 810 in which the server 105 pushes only one alert notification to the operator before continuing to restrict access at the appropriate time. However, it will be appreciated that the server may be configured to push a series of two or more reminders at different times before restricting access. Furthermore, the method described in fig. 8 may be adapted to push maintenance reminder notifications only to the operator, and in no way limit access to the device if required.

If it is determined at decision point 818 that the "pushed" flag has been set, server 105 executes decision point 824 to determine whether the elapsed time since the last performance of the frequent maintenance task exceeds a second time threshold. If not, the server 105 repeats the first few steps of method 810 until the operational data from the device 103 indicates that the elapsed time (i) has decreased to less than the first time threshold (at which point the server performs step 816 to reset the "pushed" flag) or (i i) has increased to greater than the second threshold. Upon determining in decision point 824 that the elapsed time exceeds the second threshold, the server proceeds to decision point 826 to determine whether the device has been switched to the restricted mode. If not, server 105 switches device 103 to the restricted mode and repeats the first few steps of method 810 until the operational data from device 103 indicates that the elapsed time has decreased to less than the first time threshold, at which point server 105 performs step 816 to reset the "pushed" flag in memory 109 and switch device 103 back to the normal operational mode.

As described above, the present disclosure is not limited to asset management systems for ice machines. Other types of refrigeration equipment, cooking equipment, cleaning equipment, and water usage equipment may be controlled and monitored on a regional basis using the methods and systems described above. Certain embodiments of medical freezers and stand-alone commercial refrigerators are described in the attached appendix. In particular, the attached appendix describes embodiments in which these devices may periodically issue operational data to an asset management server.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied as a system, method, computer program product, or any combination thereof. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "circuit," "module" or "system. Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be described in the general context of computer-executable or processor-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer or processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects of the disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

Any combination of one or more computer-usable or computer-readable media may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including but not limited to an object oriented programming language such as Java, smalltalk, C ++, c#, or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or the like. The program code may execute entirely on the portable electronic device, partly on the portable electronic device or on a refrigeration device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the portable electronic device, partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the portable electronic device through any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiments thereof, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above products and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

1. A method of remotely managing a device, the method comprising:

receiving operational data from the device;

determining an elapsed time interval since performing a frequent maintenance task based on the operational data;

determining, at an asset management server remote from the device, that the elapsed time interval exceeds a threshold time interval; and

in response to determining that the elapsed time interval exceeds the threshold time interval, one of:

(i) Pushing a notification to an operator of the device indicating that the frequent maintenance task should be performed; and

(ii) A command is sent from the asset management server to the device over a client-server network, the command configured to cause a controller of the device to switch from a normal mode to a restricted mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold time interval is a first threshold time interval, and wherein the asset management server pushes the notification to the operator in response to determining that the elapsed time interval exceeds the first threshold time interval.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, at the asset management server, that the elapsed time interval exceeds a second threshold time interval.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, in response to the asset management server determining that the elapsed time interval exceeds a second threshold time interval, sending a command from the asset management server to the device to cause the controller to switch from a normal mode to a restricted mode.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising pushing a notification to the operator until use of the device is limited before the frequent maintenance task is performed in response to determining at the asset management server that the elapsed time interval exceeds a second threshold time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the elapsed time interval exceeds the threshold time interval, the asset management server sends instructions from the asset management server to the device over the client-server network, the instructions configured to cause a controller of the device to switch from a normal mode to a restricted mode; and wherein the method further comprises: after sending the instructions, an indication is received by the asset management server over the client-server network from the device that the frequent maintenance task has been performed.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising: the asset management server sends another instruction to the device to cause the device to switch from the restricted mode to the normal mode.

8. A method of managing an ice maker, the method comprising:

receiving a periodic indication of ice level within a bin associated with the ice maker from an ice level sensor of the ice maker;

determining that the ice level within the bin is a low ice level according to the periodic indication; and

in response to the determination, at least one corrective action is taken, the corrective action selected from the group consisting of:

(i) Pushing a low ice level notification to an operator of the ice maker; and

(ii) Placing an order to purchase additional ice.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising comparing each indication of the ice level within the bin to a threshold, and the determining that the ice level within the bin is low is determined based on the indication of the ice level within the bin being below the threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing a record of the periodic indication in a memory and determining seasonal demand for ice based on the record.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising evaluating whether the ice maker is able to meet demand for ice in an upcoming demand interval based on the determined seasonal demand for ice.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving periodic ice production data from the ice maker; determining a true capacity of the ice maker from the periodic ice production data; and wherein said evaluating is based on said determined true capacity of said ice maker.

13. A method of remotely managing a plurality of ice machines in an asset management system, the method comprising:

receiving ice level data from the plurality of ice makers on an asset management server;

the asset management server determines that a first ice maker in the plurality of ice makers is at a low ice level and a second ice maker in the plurality of ice makers is at a high ice level according to the ice level data; and

in response to the determination, the asset management server provides a transaction based on the network through which an operator of the first ice maker obtains ice from an operator of the second ice maker.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing comprises pushing a notification to the operator of the first ice maker indicating the low ice level.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing comprises:

the asset management server requests the operator of the first ice maker to confirm that an offer to purchase ice is being made to the operator of the second ice maker.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing comprises:

a notification indicating the high ice level is pushed to the operator of the second ice maker.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing comprises:

the asset management server requests the operator of the second ice maker to confirm acceptance of the ice purchase offer by the operator of the first ice maker.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining comprises:

the asset management server makes a first judgment, and judges that the first ice maker in the plurality of ice makers is a low ice level;

the asset management server making a second determination that a group of the plurality of ice machines is within a geographic area acceptable to the first ice machine; and

the asset management server makes a third determination that the ice machines of each subset of the set of ice machines are high ice level, the subset including the second ice machines.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining further comprises:

pushing a bid request to sell ice to the operator of each ice maker in the subset for selling ice to the operator of the first ice maker.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining further comprises:

a bid request from an operator of the second ice maker is selected.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining comprises:

the asset management server makes a second determination that the second ice maker is an ice maker having excess ice among a plurality of ice makers, which is the most recent unsolicited ice maker.

22. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the second ice maker is within an acceptable geographic area relative to the first ice maker.